varder



H. VARDER.

TRAIN BUMPER.

APPLICATIGN FILED FEB. 1I. |919. 1,318,033. Patented oct. 7,1919.

v 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

'ma COLUMBIA PLANoGmwn co., wAsmNln-QN, n. c.

H. VARDER.

TRAIN BUMPER.

APPLICATION FILED ri. I1. I9I9.

Patented 00I.7,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET?.

Ummm/wl!- Cd.. WASHINGTON. Il t.

. HOLGER VARDER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TRAIN-BUMPER.

Specification o f Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 7, 1919.

`Application led February 17, 1919. Serial No. 277,445.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, HOLGER VARDE'R, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, in the city of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Train-Bumpers, ofwvhich the following is a specification. l

This invention relates to car bumpers or buffers for use in terminals, or on sidings, or similar positions where it is. desired to bring a car or a train of cars to a'standstill without leaving the tracks, and in a short distance and without a sudden shock.

Great difficulty has'heretofore been encountered in providing a satisfactory device of this kind. It is of frequent occurrence that the car or train either carries away the bumper or passes over the same, sometimes with serious injury to the car, and loss of life.

According to this invention, a means is provided for` surely, easily, and certainly bringing the car or train to a stand-still without injury to the car or train, and also the bumper. This result is accomplished by frictional resistance which 1s rought into opposition to the movement of the car.

The objects of this invention are accomplished by the means illustratedinlthe accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1, is a sideelevation of the improved bumper.

Fig. 2, is a plan view of the same.

Fig. 3, `is a transverse section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4, is a longitudinal verticalsection through the top of one of the retarding members.

Fig. 5, isl a horizontal section on the line 5 5 ofiFig. 4. p

Fig. 6, is a view o fone of the roller boxes, and

Fig. 7, is a lview of a modified form of bumper.

Similar reference numerals in all of the figures of the drawings designate like parts. Referring to the drawing, 5 designates the terminal of the train` track,A beyond which isconstructe'd the improved bumper which is preferably supported upon a substantial foundation formed of grillage beams 6 embedded below the surface and extending beneath the bumper and partly under the track terminal.

The bumper .proper consists of a buiferframe or arm.7 which is mounted upon one or moreV I-beams forming tracks 8, and constructed to move longitudinally thereof, said I-beams or tracks beingrigidly secured to, and supported upon the grillage beam foundation 6 before mentioned in any suitable manner. The buffer-frame 7 is provided at its rear side with a plurality of ears 9,

between eachV pair of which is connected by the bolt 10, a retardingor resisting member 11, the same being constructed to engage the track surfaces of the I-beams 8 and adapted to move longitudinally thereof together with the buffer-frame 7. The retarding members 11 have depending, forwardly extending sides 12 located upon opposite sides 0f the I-beams 8, and are connected together at their lowerends, as shown at 13 in Fig. 3of the drawing. Therefore it will beseen that each of these retarding members forms a loop surrounding itsrespective I-beam track, and is thereby positively guided in its back and forth movements. At the 'upper end of each of the retarding members, is also provided a connecting piece 14 which is formed with a concave engaging face 15 adapted to contact with an oppositely concaved face 16 formed between the ears 9 of the buffer-frame, and also adjacent the lower end of each retarding member, are suitably secured a group of friction-plates 17 which extend from one side of the retarding member to its opposite side, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing. In other words, these frictional plates 17 extend transversely of the space between the sides of each of the retarding members4 and beneath the I-beam tracks 8.

These friction plates 17 are adapted to frictionally engage a group of frictional tracks 18 positioned to extend longitudinally beneath the I-beam tracks 8, and are rigidly secured in position at one end to the car-tracks `by bolts or otherwise, as shown at 19', and at their other ends 19, they are preferably secured'loosely to permit a slight vertical movement. These friction plates 17 and friction-tracks 18 are arranged in alternate relation to each other, so as to provide a plurality of frictional contact faces or areas, and to secure a maximum resisting force to the movement of the cars or train to be stopped.

Preferably the retarding members are normally supported upon the tracks 8 by the rollers-20, and said rollers 20 form fulcruin points upon which the retarding members rock or tilt when they are lmovedalong the tracks 8 on the working stroke, this tilting movement being effected by the force Viinposed upon the buffer-frame and through the vcontacting concave faces 15 vand. 16. The slight tilting of the retarding members causes the friction plates 17 to bear firmly against the frictional tracks 18, and thereby create a resistance to overcome the movement of the body to be stopped.

For highl pressure, as in thel present case, it is found that the coefficient of friction cannot -be considered constant, in that, it changes considerabl with the condition of thel contacting surfaces, whether they are wet, dry or. rusty, therefore the variability of the coeiicient of friction has to be takeny into account to make; the bumper practical.

To yallow for a considerable variation in coefficiency, rollers 2O in the i'etarding inembers are mounted in boxes 32, which in turn are mounted between vertical guides 33 projecting inwardly from the sides of the retarding members. Boxes 32 are formed with a cross rib or fulcrum edge 3l which bears against a lever 35 intermediate its ends, said lever having one end engaging under a-` rollers 20', while the pressure on rollers 20- will never exceed a certain limit determined by the flexibility of the spring-cushioning means 37. Consequently the greater the combined pressure on rollers 2O and 20', the resultant pressure will be closer to roller 20', and therefore the leverage line ic will be greater. A great-coefficientof friction needs a long leverage line la or the bumper will get stuck, and a small coeiiicient of friction ,needs a short leverage line 7c, else the bumper will have a resistance too small. It

will thus be seen that in the' arrangement described, leverage line /c will4 bev adjusted automatically relative to the coefficient of friction. v

An initial force resisting means, such as couiiterweights, springs, or-other like means, which are independent of the friction resistance means, is absolutely essential to perfect the operation of the bumper. The initial force resisting means shown in the drawings, comprises counterweights 24 having buffersprings 25 and connected to the lower ends ofthe retarding members, and springs 2G mounted in`` the end of the buffer arm 7. These initial force resisting means counteract-the pressure from the train, and cause the retarding members to tilt and thus press the plates 17 and the tracks 18 tightly together; frictionwill then be developed to further counteract the force imposed by the train, and the greater the frictional force, the,more-the..retarding members will tilt, and the friction plates and Atracks will be forced .closer together, until a degree of friction is establishedwhich will balance with the applied force.

Itv should be further mentioned, that the initial force resisting means will act to return the bumper to its normal starting position, after the train force Ahas been withdrawn, and as `there is no frictioiial resistance offered on the return stroke, because no tilting force is applied at that time, the parts will move easily to normal position.

To overcome backward tilting oif the retardiiig ineivnbers due to the weight of their lowerends, hangers 40 `are provided on the bumper-arm 7, and springs 41 `are connected to said hangers andltlielower ends. of the retarding members. y. y

These springs are strong enough to normally uphold the lower ends` of the retarding members, so that the Vfriction plates and tracks are substantially free from engagement with each other so that no appreciable friction will be developed when in this position.

The bumper-frame or arm 7 is preferably supported on the tracks 8 by the rollers 27 and 28, said rollersbeingmounted in suitable brackets 29 secured to the member 7, and the brackets whichsnpport the rollers 2S are formed with rear walls 30 which are provided at their lower ends with outwardly extending lips klv which are adapted to engage beneath thelflanges of the tracks 8, and thereby prevent an upward displacement of the bumper-arm from the tracks S.

For inexpensive bumpers with a short stroke, the Vdevice can be constructed as shown in Fig. 7 ofthe drawings,'wherein the friction rails extend upwardly and backwardly in a different, horizontal plane from the level of the train-track rails.

Slidably mounted on each beam-track 8 is a wedge-block 45 which normally rests nnder the wheel 20, inthe .position shown in Fig. i of the drawings. Inthis position it will be seen that very littley or no compression ofthe spring 37 is required to make the roller 20 bear on thewedge-block. As the roller vmoves Vdown the incline an increased pressure of spring137is required, as the vresistance of the bumper isa coefficient times the force 4'compressing spring 37. By this arrangement, the bumper will start` with very little resistance and gradually develop the full resistance during its Amovement over the length of the wedge.

The wedge is moved back and forth by the osets 46 and 47 formed on the retarding member; thus after the retarding member moves backwardly some distance, offsets 47 will engage the head of the wedge and slide it backwardly, thereby keeping it in advance of the roller 20, and then when the load is released from the retarding member and during its return stroke, offsets 46 engage the head of the wedge and return it to normal position.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In a train-bumper, separate groups of friction-members Xed respectively to the train-track and a movable member, said friction members of the separate groups being alternately arranged with respect to each other and mounted to 'be pressed together by the movement of said movable member.

2. In a train-bumper, separate groups of friction-members arranged transversely relative to each other and iiXed respectively to the train-track and to a movable member, said friction members of the separate groups being alternately arranged with respect to each other and mounted to be pressed together by the movement of said movable member.

8. In a train-bumper, separate groups of friction-members fixed respectively to the train-track and to tiltable and movable members, said friction members of the separate groups being alternately arranged with respect to each other and mounted to be pressed together by the tilting movement of said movable members.

t. In a train-bumper, separate groups of friction-members fixed respectively to the train-track and to movable members, said friction members being mounted to be pressed together and toward fixed parts of the bumper by the tilting movement produced by the pressure of the train on the bumper, and by a force acting against the pressure of the train and at some distance from the same.

5. A train-bumper, comprising a bumperarm, retarding members connected to said arm to tilt or rock with respect thereto, tracks for supporting both said bumper-arm and retarding-members and on which they are adapted to move, separate friction means fixed to said bumper and the train-track respectively and mounted to frictionally engage each other with variable pressure produced by the force imposed upon the movable bumper.

6. A train-bumper, comprising a bumperarm, retarding members connected to said arm to tilt or rock with respect thereto, tracks for supporting said bumper-arm and retarding mem-bers, said retarding members being provided with rolling supports which form fulcrums upon which the retarding members are tilted, separate friction means fixed to said bumper" and the train-tracks respectively and mounted to frictionally engage each other with variable pressure produced by the force imposed upon the movable bumper.

7. A train-bumper, comprising a bumperarm, retarding members connected to said arm to tilt or rock with respect thereto, tracks for supporting both said bumperarm and retarding members, said retarding members being provided with rolling supports which form automatically changeable fulcrums upon which the retarding members are tilted to adjust the leverage of the tiltable retarding members with respect to the frictional resistance, separate friction means fixed to said bumper and the traintracks respectively and mounted to frictionally engage each other with a variable pressure produced by the force imposed upon the movable bumper.

S. A train-bumper, comprising a bumperarm, retarding members connected to said arm to tilt or rock with respect thereto, tracks for supporting both said bumperarm and retardingmembers, said retarding members being provided with rolling supports which form fulcrums upon which the retarding members are tilted, separate friction means iXed to said bumper and the train-tracks respectively, and mounted to frictionally engage each other with a variable pressure produced by the force imposed upon the movable bumper-arm, and an independent force resisting means acting on the lower end of said retarding members.

9. A train-bumper mounted upon supporting tracks and provided with separate friction members secured to the train-track and the bumper respectively, said bumper being tiltable with respect to its supporting tracks and also provided With automatically shiftable fulcrums to vary the frictional resistance between the friction members.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature.

HOLGER VARDER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C." 

